Here comes the Senate budget

We know that the Senate budget will spend more money than the House budget, not that this is a high bar to clear. We know that the Senate has searched high and low for the funds to support the higher appropriations they want. This week, we find out how they plan to do it.

Senate leaders are looking at non-tax revenue and, possibly, dipping further into the rainy day fund than Gov. Rick Perry has said he is willing to do. If they do not find agreement on revenue, spending may have to be shaved.

“This is a pretty aggressive effort to fund as many critical items as we could. It’s going to be a challenge to make sure it balances,” Senate Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, said after the panel sent a two-year budget proposal to the printer Thursday night in anticipation of a committee vote next week on the overall bill.

“If we’re successful, we’ll still be substantially reducing funding as compared to the current biennium,” he said.

Ogden did not give a final tally on the proposal. He said last week that as the Senate plan stood then, it would spend $16 billion more than the House measure. Senate budget-writers since have voted to add money in some areas.

I’ve no idea how this will play out. We’ve seen that there’s not much there in terms of non-tax revenues, and some of the more recent proposals have been controversial. If the Senate reaches in for more Rainy Day money, it’s not clear that either the House or Rick Perry would go along with it. If the Senate budget has to be cut back because they can’t come up with enough funds, Democrats may block it and force a special session. This is going to be a critical week.